I have an '02 4Runner Sport with a sunroof. I have water stains in all 4 corners of my headliner. Front driver corner (photo1), front passenger corner (photo2), driver side back rear corner, and passenger side back rear corner (photo3). Pictures are attached.

I have checked the sunroof drains and they all work fine. I poured water in the channel below the sunroof and water drained from all four spots on the 4runner. I checked the screws on the roof rails and they are tight.

I am at a loss as to where the water is coming from. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks

 

Best way to find it your not gonna like doing it lol. Strip the inside headliner everything off the inside of the roof go to the car wash with a buddie or 2 and watch for water

 

LOL...you are right...I don't like that option. I will use it as my last resort.

 

It's actually fairly easy I have had mine out to sound deaden the roof. Google search sound deading and there instructions on how to remove it. Don't mess it up they aren't cheap from the stealership!

 

Thanks. I found this link http://www.4runners.org/writeups/sound/deadening.html which gave me some thoughts. I have water staining in the rear corners in addition to the font corners. One of the pictures in that write up shows the rear sunroof drain tubes running down the pillar in front of the rear side windows. Thus it cant be the drains or a bad drain connection. I guess it would have to be the roof rail screws or the wiring going to the rear hatch.

I will keep investigating and update as I learn more.

Thanks all.

 

I had to diagnose this on an BMW that came into the shop I work at, it was super clean and always garaged. I dropped the headliner and found that a mouse (or mice) had somehow gotten up there and chewed everything apart to make a nest. All the rubber drain tubes had huge holes in them along with wiring and even the airbags.

 

WOW...is about the only word I can think of to describe that. I hope mine isn't in that kind of shape.

I did talk to the dealership and they want $400 just to drop the headline and there was no guarantee that they could find the problem. I even asked how the drain hoses were run (I had seen photos so I knew the answer) and they wouldn't even divulge that information. I guess I will have to just suck it up and remove the headliner to find the culprits.

 

*Bump*


Thanks to everyone for all the great info here. I am looking for a 4runner or a Land Cruiser, and this site has really helped.


This may be the wrong thread to check, since the OP may not have stuck around, but a 4runner I am looking at has similar stains. Every thread I find, the OP doesn't come back to report a fix. I'm hoping that doesn't mean nobody ever solves this.

 

Disregard the visor stain. Not worried about that.


This doesn't seem like a reason to run away from an otherwise clean truck. Thoughts?

 

TX78666…Sorry to say I was never able to figure out the problem. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten any worse (knock on wood)…but again it is garage kept and I park in a parking garage at work…so it isn't constantly exposed to the elements.

Just curious…are the floors stained in the back seat behind the driver and passenger…I don't think I mentioned that in my original post but there is staining on my floor as well…it is right next to the rear doors on both sides. Also, is there staining in back rear corners as well?

I took it to the dealer and they looked at it and admitted that it was a pretty bad leak. They wanted $400 to take the liner out to diagnose the problem. I opted to live it for now.

I am not sure if this issue should sway you from buying a 4Runner. It has been a GREAT automobile. The only thing I would consider non-wear and tear that went out was the O2 sensor (again…knock on wood) when it was 4 years old. Other than that I perform routine maintenance per manufacturers guidelines. Just a solid auto that always starts and gets me from point A to B…and pulls my boat with no problems. I am looking to upgrade though…time for something newer…I am considering a 2010 Range Rover Sport Super Charged. The 4Runner has me spoiled and I am afraid I am asking for trouble getting a Rover.

 

Thanks for the reply. No other stains, but it is at a dealership, and they could have cleaned them, if there were.

 

Here is another possible culprit. Unfortunately, I can't easily get to this 4runner to check it soon.


https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/o...p-tray-109635/

 

Thanks…i will check out the drip tray tomorrow and report if it is the problem